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Blow Out Your Candles

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Every year since his parents' deaths, Hibari Kyoya has been alone on his birthday.

He did not waste his inherited money on frivolous things like cake or presents. But he did, admittedly, light a single candle that night.

"Herbivores." Hibari snarled, tonfas raised, sleek and silver, in the battle-stance of a predator. "I will bite you to death." when a true carnivore announces that, he did not simply say that, he must deliver.

Leaving the now-unconscious pile of drunks on the street, Hibari continued his prowl around Namimori, on the alert for prey. It was the duty of the strong to keep the weak in order.

The prefect had a specific route to take around Namimori. He would first stalk through the downtown areas, biting herbivores to death who were past their curfew and whose breaths were taint with alcohol. Then he would take the backstreets where he knew that the drug-users frequented, beating them bloody and leaving their collapsed bodies for the police. Finally, he would take the most populated neighborhoods, a popular location for late-night robberies and muggings. After that, he would return to his quiet home, alone.

Always alone.

That night, May 5th, had very few incidents with people. The only people he had caught were the alcoholics and a lost child.

"Where do you live?" he had asked the child, quite nicely, in his opinion. He couldn't discipline a child who hadn't even learned the rules yet. The little boy, on the other hand, did not find it very nice.

The little herbivore actually started crying. "M-My mommy... She told me to stay away from y-you, Hibari-san!" It wasn't the first time that someone had started bawling at the feet of the head prefect, but it was definitely the first child.

Hibari raised an eyebrow. He had known that the citizens feared him, but not to the point of avoiding him, altogether. "Whats your name?" he asked a different question, slightly more forcefully. If the damn mother was going to forbid her own damn son to get help, then its her fault for condemning her son to the irritation of Hibari Kyoya.

"K-Kumagai S-Shisui!" the boy cried, in slight fear of the older boy.

Kuma... Bear? This child was the opposite of a carnivore. "Follow." Hibari commanded, turning on his heel towards the police department. This child was delaying his usual schedule... If the stupid herbivore refused to tell the prefect where he lived, then he would just shove the responsibility onto the government.

The child scrambled on after the older boy, tripping occasionally on his own feet, and rubbing at his running nose with his sleeves. Hibari sniffed, in disdain, reaching into a pocket and tossing a handkerchief at Shisui. "Disgusting." Hibari sneered, continuing on, as if nothing had happened.

Shisui hesitantly blew his nose into the pristine cloth, before offering it back to Hibari. "Th-Thank you, Hibari-san."

"Keep it." Hibari ordered, not pausing a moment as he strode along the road, his back straight with confidence and pride. "I have no desire for such things."

The younger boy looked up at the Cloud Guardian, in slight awe and wonder. This man had been kind to him... in a strange, roundabout way. "M-My house is that way." Shisui pointed down a side-street, on what looked like the more suspicious side of town.

Hibari instinctively became on edge, as the child led the way, through the darkness. This side of town was near Kokuyo Land... Hibari unconsciously growled, sending shivers down Shisui's spine.

Maybe this Hibari man wasn't as nice as he had thought...

Kumagai Saki was honestly terrified. Her Shisui hadn't come home, it was late and dark and he was all alone and- She was getting very, very worked up, if you hadn't noticed.

Knock. Knock. The woman was flying towards the entrance, flinging open the door. "Shisu- Oh my goodness, Hibari-san."

There, in front of her, was the Demon of Namimori in the flesh, his hands on her beloved Shisui's shoulders. The teenager shoved (although fairly lightly) her child towards her. "Take him."

"Shisui!" Saki caught her beloved son, swinging him up into a hug. She quickly remembered her guest and bowed to the prefect. "Thank you, Hibari-san."

Hibari, however, did not accept her gratitude, choosing instead to sneer at the tall woman. "Scared, herbivore? After all, you have to 'stay away' from carnivores. It's the only way to survive and continue living your weak, meaningless lives."

Saki inhaled sharply, pushing Shisui behind her. "I-I apologize, Hibari-san. I was wrong in my interpretation of you."

Hibari didn't reply, turning away, his black coattails chasing after him, as he stalked away. What a damn good way to start his evening.

Upon arriving at his home, Hibari immediately noticed something was wrong. The lights on the second floor of his home were on... Drawing his tonfas, the teenager entered, senses on red alert.

Immediately after he stepped into the house, the lights on the first floor flickered on. Someone jumped out at him, with a cry. Instinctively, Hibari struck out with tonfas, slamming into the skull of some idiotic herbivore who decided that robbing him, Hibari Kyoya, was a good idea. Hibari quickly figured out that there was more than one assailant, and he prepared himself to rain attacks upon his opponents.

"Happy birthd- Tsuna, are you okay?!" a familiar voice - was that Yamamoto Takeshi? - fretted, fussing over the Vongola Decimo candidate.

"JUUDAIME!" Gokudera pulled out a First-Aid kit, immediately flipping through the various bandages and ointments. "It was a trauma blow... so ice? Bandages? Dammit!"

"I-I'm fine, Gokudera..." Tsuna sweatdropped, rubbing at his sore head. The boy glanced, sheepishly, at a fuming Hibari. "I'm sorry, Hibari-san, about intruding. Reborn told us it was your birthday and told us if we didn't come here, he'd kill us... I didn't doubt it. And since you weren't here, for a while, we thought decorating would be okay, too...?"

"Get out." Hibari literally threw each boy out of his home, saving the boss for last. "I will bite you to death later."

Hibari Kyoya walked through his now-decorated home, fingering the cheap streamers and navigating around various balloons, heading for his kitchen. There, on the table, was a slice of marble cake, with white icing.

"Tch." the boy turned and pulled open a drawer, searching for something.

After finding it, he carefully placed the candle in the middle of the cake, lighting it with a match.

"Another year, gone." he muttered to himself, watching the candle drip dark wax down the shaft, melting onto the once perfect dessert. He sat there, watching the candle dwindle to nothing, until after dawn, having smothered itself in cool wax.

He tossed the mutilated candle and remainders of the cake into the trash, trudging up the stairs of his empty, silent house.

The last year hadn't been too bad, he supposed. He had, after all, had plenty of herbivores to bite to death.

Happy birthday, Hibari Kyoya.